silkysilu

I want to go to New Zealand or Australia, possibly both (the flight is pretty expensive and it would be awesome to make the most of the trip) in April for my 30th birthday. I know every forum says that you can't do both unless you have months of vacation time so I'm trying to narrow it down to one or the other but where will the weather be better? I know it's Fall in April and I didn't want to end up going when the weather was too cold. Just out of curiosity, how long would I need to get a good look at both? I won't have this opportunity again with time off and money. I would greatly appreciate any help you guys can give me!

BigRuss

<<where will the weather be better?>>

Depends. As a general rule, Australia. Also depends upon what is "too cold."

<<Just out of curiosity, how long would I need to get a good look at both?>>

Defining what a "good look" means would help.

But in reality, more time than you have. Australia is about 77% the size of the United States. So think about how long it'd take to get a "good look" at the US and take off 25%. Plus, no major city is close to any other. The two closest are Canberra and Sydney. Every other one is a flight away from each other, and your adventuring into the various outbacks starts from one of those major cities.

With a couple of weeks, you could tackle a sizable bit of New Zealand.

<<I won't have this opportunity again with time off and money.>>

You don't know that. But regardless, you're going to have to make choices here.

silkysilu

I'd love it if the weather was above 65F at least. I know it sounds like a general question but I'm not trying to see every nook and cranny that Australia/NZ has to offer. Not that every nook and cranny wouldn't be awesome but realistically, as a tourist how long would it take to see the country and get the satisfaction of visiting the must see places?

And yes, with my career, I know that money won't be an issue but time will be a huge luxury I won't have after I leave my current job. I'll be lucky to get a week or two a year. Not that you care but there's your answer =)

tasmangirl

How long will you have for the trip?
It's still warm in NZ in April - one layer of clothing. As for Australia it would be a good time as the real heat of summer has gone in most places.
Australia is pretty big and New Zealand is long and skinny so getting anywhere takes lots of time.
There are direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Queenstown so you could bypass Auckland and hit the South Island straight away.
As a tourist allow 3 weeks for NZ - 1 week North Island and 2 weeks South.
For Australia well a good look around would take months and months and can't be done for the average holiday. However you could see Sydney and one other city - if you like beaches what about the Gold Coast.
Or Melbourne then fly over to Queenstown in NZ.

Melnq8

Agree with tasmangirl about the time needed for NZ. We've visited some dozen times - mostly the South Island - and anything less than two weeks for the SI alone seems a terrible rush...at least to me.

The first time I went Down Unda I had the same misconception as you - that NZ and Australia were just a short hop away from one another. Not the case. Auckland to Sydney is a 3.5 hour flight, Christchurch to Melbourne is close to four hours, Auckland to Perth is 7.5 hours.

Cold is relative - I lived in Australia for seven years (Perth) and I very seldom felt cold, even in the dead of winter. We used to joke that we had to go outdoors to warm up as it was colder indoors than out due to the concrete construction of most of the houses in WA.

April is a fine time to visit NZ - the weather is pretty settled. Just avoid Easter.

April is also the time we finally breathed a sigh of relief in Western Australia - the oppressive heat of summer was finally over!

NZ and Australia are uniquely beautiful places, but entirely different from one another. Which you choose will depend on your particular interests.

Unless you have unlimited time and money I suggest you:

Pick a country

Pick an island and/or pick a state or two

And go from there

michelhuebeli

I don't see that you tell us how much time you have. But here are a few thoughts to add to those already posted:

I lived in Sydney for many years and got around a lot for my job at the time. I go back at least once a year, and the long flight doesn't faze me at all. BUT:

If you have not done such a trip before, consider this:

From the US to AU you lose a day in transit. Leave on Thursday for example (usually just before midnight if it's a West Coast departure), arrive in the morning of Saturday.

Force yourself to sleep on the plane, as much as you possibly can. Even if you twist and turn and reposition every twenty minutes, you'll accumulate enough rest over the 13-to-14 hours to make it through the first day on arrival.

Don't go to sleep on arrival, stay out in the open, take a ferry if it's Sydney (recommended), walk in the Domain or go to Bondi Beach and walk down to Coogee Beach. Crash after dinner and sleep well at night, and the next day you'll be fully functional.

Assuming, for the sake of being helpful, that you have two weeks for this trip, I'd say evaluate how soon you'll be able to go Downunder again. You can often find fares in the 1100 to 1400 dollar range (sign up with www.airfarewatchdog.com and get the heads-up emails, just to see).

If there's a chance you can go again in the next few years, stay in Australia this time.

April can be the start of more rain than, say, March, so if you have a chance to move the trip up by a few weeks, do it.

As to where to go - read up a lot, also read Robert Hughes, The fatal Shore (sure to be in a library near you). Sydney is a great starting point.

You can get a car and do a swing through the Blue Mountains (Katoomba, Jenolan Caves, stay the night in Oberon).

Drive to the Hunter Valley, visit a winery near Cessnock and Pokolbin, spend the night near Lake Macquarie or Tuggerah Lake (Toukley, The Entrance, thereabouts.)

Drive to Canberra (save money and pick a motel in nearby Queanbeyan), then drive to the coast at Batemans Bay and along the coast back up to Sydney.

Fly to Hobart in Tasmania, visit Port Arthur, drive over the mountains past Queenstown to Cradle Mountain, stay and do a hike, drive to the North Coast (Penguin etc), finally drive to Launceston and ditch the car, fly from there back to the mainland.

That's just a few ideas - a hundred more, easily, so start reading up and you'll find your bliss!

About going to NZ - it's not far, only a good three hours, but going to the airport and waiting around and all that makes it at least a half-day trip. If you go, take a very late flight - get there in time to go to sleep and you didn't waste a day. And be sure you know where you want to go, and why - you don't move around very fast in NZ, mostly one lane each way outside of towns, and mountains, curves, slower vehicles...

Jessie34

I would definitely choose New Zealand. It would be a miraculous trip, I'm sure. They say that NZ is the only country where you can see all the landscapes at once: mountains, rivers, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc.
Have a nice trip!
Hugs,
Jessie - http://essayforcollege.org/ complex writer and editor-in-chief

michelhuebeli

There is a lot of truth in the statement "...NZ is the only country where you can see all the landscapes at once: mountains, rivers, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc" but only if you take out the words "at once".

When I lived in Sydney many years ago, NZ was promoting itself with a video that show sceneries from arctic to alpine to lush agricultural to tropical, without at first divulging what part of the world one was looking at. Then - tadaaaa - "if you want all that and more, come to NZ". Very efficient.

silkysilu

You guys are awesome, thank you for the responses! I have about 2 months of leave saved up and I need to use it so I was trying to figure out a great way of doing that. However, no one else has that great chunk of time to travel so after reading your advice, I think I may have to put off doing Australia for another time but at least now I have a better idea of what I am getting into! I need more travel buddies =(